Swiss Twins Reunion meeting

‘People mix us up all the time": Christian Ruckstuhl from Cham and his twin brother Stefan often find themselves having to explain who is who.

The 54-year-old identical-twin brothers have been members of the Swiss Twin Association for more than a decade. The highlight for them is the Annual Association Meeting. In everyday life, the two often cause confusion.

On 7 and 8 September, around 100 identical and fraternal twins are expected in Vevey for the 47th Swiss Twins Reunion. The Swiss Twin Association (SZV: Schweizerischen Zwillingsverein) has more than 300 members. Identical twins Stefan and Christian Ruckstuhl joined the association by chance more than ten years ago. They look forward to the annual dinner together and the subsequent evening of dancing in good company.

The 54-year-olds were born and grew up in Thurgau, or ‘Mostindien’, as they both describe it with a grin. Thurgau is popularly known as this because of its apple cultivation (Most = apple juice) and its shape, which is reminiscent of India. Christian has now lived in Cham for many years and Stefan in Grenchen in the canton of Solothurn.

‘We hear and see each other regularly, as do the other siblings who are not twins. But it's not as if we're in constant contact. We also don't automatically sense when one of us is ill. That's a common cliché that we can't confirm,’ explains Stefan Ruckstuhl, who is three minutes older than his brother.

Identical twins Christian (left) and Stefan Ruckstuhl have been members of the Swiss Twins Association for more than ten years                        Photo: zvg

Often swapped places at school
They grew up very close to each other. ‘We went to primary school, sixth form and vocational school together. For our classmates, we were always one of the twins. Nowadays, twins are split into different classes where possible, which is good for character development,’ says Christian Ruckstuhl. Both originally trained as confectioners. ‘We worked in different shops during our apprenticeships, and we became more independent from then on,’ adds Stefan.

There have always been mix-ups. ‘People mix us up all the time when we're out and about in each other's neighbourhoods. Some people don't even realise the mix-up in conversation. Or only when it becomes clear that one of us has no idea about the topic being discussed. We often have to inform each other about a number of things,’ says Stefan Ruckstuhl. They both find it funny every time.

They often swapped places at school, and the teachers never noticed. ‘Unfortunately, we were both about equally good (or bad) in all subjects, however, and therefore couldn't help each other obtain better grades,’ remembers Christian Ruckstuhl. He has one child, and is now a groundsman ‘at a natural adventure centre for children in Cham’. Stefan Ruckstuhl works in the IT sector. They have three younger siblings.

Nice to be among like-minded people
Except for the annual Twins' Get-Together, the two deliberately don't wear the same outfits. ‘Dressing the same then is part of the fun. Otherwise, we only do it for laughs or for a photo. Even as children, our parents never dressed us the same,’ adds Stefan Ruckstuhl. However, it often happens that the two of them unconsciously buy the same shoes or clothes. Christian Ruckstuhl: ‘We feel our similarity in those moments.’

There are only a few twins at the annual Twins Get-Together who have lived together all their lives or who always dress the same. The Ruckstuhl twins enjoy the socialising and the friendships with some of the members. ‘As a Gemini, you're automatically more sociable because you grow up in company. It's nice to be with like-minded people once a year,’ they both agree. They joined the Swiss Gemini Association by chance and are looking forward to being part of it for many more years to come.

Information:
Twins from near and far, including non-members, are welcome to attend  the meetingin Vevey on 7 and 8 September.
Further information is available at www.schweizerischerzwillingsverein.ch or www.zwillingstreffen.ch.